Log raft



0st. 13, 1932. B, ERQBERS N 1,883,824

LOG RAFT Filed June 1, 1931 IN V EN TOR.

E E R0 562's 022 I I I 7/. ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 18, 1932 PATENT OFFICE .UNITED STATES BILL E. ROBERSQN, OF HOQUIAM, WASHINGTON LOG RAFT Application filed June 1, 1931. Serial No. 541,473.

various forms by the use of lines, chains,

ropes and cables, into the form of a massive timber structure, resembling, in some respects, a scow, or float, or the hull of a ship. While these means may secure the logs in ordinary weather, such booms, log rafts, or timber structures are expensive and diflicult to accumulate and assemble, and require the expenditure of much labor and the use of much material in the form of chains, lines, cables, dogs and other material, and are, altogether, expensive to accumulate and construct and unwieldy to control and operate, and require the use of powerful and expensive tugs to tow them.

Furthermore, all such booms or rafts re quire, in addition to the labor and material before referred to, that special structures be constructed for assembling the logs, and special equipment be provided for assembling the logs in their proper places and binding them together, and especially assembling them into groups, piles and accumulations, preparatory to the construction and formation of the raft, and require much equipment and material not strictly a part of the timber to be transported.

All these defects in the existing system are especially noticeable and have special application where logs are brought to the booming grounds, or to the place where the rafts are constructed, upon railway cars and logging trucks, and my invention applies particularly to the formation of rafts from logs that are brought to the place of rafting upon cars and logging trucks, and are there I prepared as units of the proposed raft while still upon such cars or trucks, and to the formation of rafts for the transportation of such logs in rough, open water and upon the high seas, and avoiding the delay, trouble I and While the units have been shown each and expense necessary, and the use of large amounts of materal and heavy machinery in the construction, accumulation, forma tion and structure of the proposed raft, as constructed and accumulated under present practices and the art as now understood and practiced.

These defects of the existing system, and all existing systems, I remedy as follows:

My invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combinations of parts and elements in the formation of the raft, as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. I c

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention, but it will be undert stood that various alterations and changes may be made within the scope of my claims without departing from the principles of my invention.

Referring to the accompanying draw- 1ng:--

. Figure l is a perspective view showing the manner in which logs are assembled to form a unit for a raft.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a unit ready for shipment toa place Where a raft is to be formed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a raft formed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 4 is a view of one of the segments forming the towing cable, and

Figure 5 is aview of one of the cables serving to bind logs together and connecta unit so formed wtih the main towing cable.

The raft shown in Figure 3 consists of a number of units indicated by the letters A and these units are attached to a main towing cable consisting of a series of segments B each of which is in the form of a cable 1 which may be of any convenient length and is formed with eyes 2 at its ends in order that the segments may be united in end to end relation to each other by shackles 3.

Each unit consists of a number of logs 4 formed of three logs it will be understood that formation of a unit is not restricted to this number. These logs are assembled as shown in Figure 1 and about them are passed binding cables 5 which are spaced from each other longitudinally of the logs. Each cable 5 has a ring 6 at one end in order that a running loop may be formed and at its other end carries a hook 7. By having the cables 5 of the proper length the hook of the rearbinding cable may be engaged with the front cable after the rear cable has been tightened and the front cable then tightened and temporarily secured in order to hold the logs firmly bound together during transportation of the units to the place where the raft is to be built. Transportation of the logs may be effected in any manner desired but for convenience one unit has been shown upon a flat car 8 in Figure 2.

When the place where the raft is to be built is reached the units are unloaded without disturbing the cables 5 and dumped into the water. A cable 1 has one end attached to the front cable 5 of a unit and as many cables 1 are added as necessary in order to form a main towing cable of the desired length. A second unit is disposed in side by side relation to the first unit and its front chain attached to the towing cable at the connected ends of two of its segments and any number of other units then moved into position at opposite sides of the towing cable and attached to the same as shown in Figure 8. By referring to this figure it will be seen that the unit may have movement relative to each other but the two rear units extend between the next units and serve to prevent these units and others in front of them from assuming a position parallel to the towing cable. Therefore, the units at opposite sides of the towing cable will converge forwardly and the raft may be readily towed through water which may be either rough or smooth. Since the units are permitted to have independent movement the units when assembled as a raft will not be wrenched loose or unduly strained during a storm as when passing through naturally rought water and also the raft can be easily r-efloated in case a sand bar should be encountered. This is due to the fact that if the raft should run aground the units can be individually handled and towed out into deep water where they can be again assembled in raft formation. Of course, if only one or a few of the units run aground these may be released and then towed off the sand bar after the main raft has been towed into deep water and the in order to release the logs in forming the same.

What I claim as my invention is:

In a log raft, a towing cable, raft units at opposite sides of said cable having flexible elements extending from their front ends and attached to the towing cable, each raft unit consisting of logs secured together in a series of tiers, one upon another, and other similarly constructed raft units connected with the rear of the towing cable in sidebyside relation to each other and extending longitudinally of the cable between the rearmost of the first mentioned raft units to retain the same in forwardly converging relation to each other.

In witness whereof, I hereunto aflix my hand this th day of April, 1931.

BILL E. ROBERSON, 

